The Kingston Rotary Club and the Greater Kingston Kiwanis Club are working together on a program to provide food for children who need food after the school meals program and school year end.
There are 243 students (60 percent of the total students) at Wolfle Elementary School in Kingston who qualify for free or reduced breakfast and lunch. Eighty of these students will attend summer school, which does not provide the free/reduced breakfast and lunch programs provided during the school year. While the summer school program provides some food (breakfast/snack), this is only partially funded by an external grant to the school.
It is important to know that the school district does not fund summer school or provide food during the summer months for the approximate 234 children in the free/reduced meals program during the school year. Summer school funding is provided by an external grant to the school.
During summer school, ShareNet provides weekend food packets for 80 students. After summer school ends, the “Food for Kids” program provides each student one meal packet per week between the end of summer school and the beginning of school. The packets are delivered through the Port Gamble S’Klallam Early Childhood and Family and Children’s Services and are available at the Kingston Food Bank.
Each of the weekly packets includes the following food items: 1 piece of fruit, popcorn, tuna with mayo packet, 2 slices of bread, instant oatmeal, cocoa packet, cup of soup, pop tart, peanut butter and jelly packet, pudding cup, a pack of cookies, juice box, string cheese, baby carrots, a spoon and a handy wipe.
This year, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Family Assistance Program provided a daily lunch meal for all children 18 and younger from June 24 through Aug. 30 for children in Greater Kingston. This is an exciting new nutritional addition to summer support for children in the Greater Kingston area.
The new meal program at the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribal Center is available to all children, 18 years and younger, however, “Food for Kids” is looking to maintain the one packet per week in summer 2014 and is exploring the possibilities of continuing our partnership and extending our weekly packets at Wolfle Elementary into the school year. As you might expect, this will be a significant funding challenge, but to date, our community has been incredibly supportive and generous.
The “Food for Kids” program also gives the Kingston High School service clubs — Interact from Rotary, Key Club from Kiwanis, and Leos from the Lions Club — an opportunity to work on community service projects. These groups hold food drives and request donations at community activities and events such as 4th of July Celebration, Kingston Saturday Farmer’s Market and the Concerts at the Cove.
If you would like to support the Food for Kids program or attend a Rotary meeting, please contact Fredrick Branchflower at 425-445-9975. Join the Kingston Rotary Club for lunch on Wednesday at noon to learn more about Rotary and its many opportunities for service. Rotarians gather at 11:45 a.m. at North Kitsap Fire & Rescue Station 81 (Paul T. Nichol Headquarters), 26642 Miller Bay Road in Kingston for their weekly meeting. We’d love to have you join us.
— Nancy J. Martin is a columnist for the Kingston Community News. Contact her at nanjmartin@mac.com
